Cataract Surgery at CritiCare Asia Hospitals, Kurla, Mumbai
A cataract is a clouding of the eye's natural lens. CritiCare Asia Hospitals in Kurla is an eye hospital in Mumbai that assesses and operates on cataracts, with the costs and steps explained before anything is booked. The clouding builds slowly, and vision blurs with it until reading, driving after dark, or recognising a face across a room takes more effort than it should. No medicine or eye drop clears a cataract once it has formed. Replacing the cloudy lens is the only treatment, and cataract surgery is among the most commonly performed operations worldwide.
How a Cataract Forms
In a healthy eye, light passes through the cornea and then the lens, which focuses it onto the retina. The retina passes the image to the brain, and a clear lens keeps that image sharp. In a cataract, proteins inside the lens clump and cloud it, so light scatters instead of focusing, much like light through frosted glass.
Ageing is the usual reason, though not the only one:
- Age
lens proteins change gradually over decades - Diabetes
cataracts tend to appear earlier - Steroids
long-term use as tablets, drops or inhalers - Eye injury or inflammation, including previous eye surgery
- UV exposure and smoking
both add to lens damage over time
Cataracts cannot be reversed, but UV-blocking sunglasses, not smoking and good diabetes control may slow their progress.
Symptoms of Cataract
Early cataracts are easy to wave away as tired eyes or a weak prescription. Over time the signs become harder to ignore:
- Misty, cloudy vision that blinking does not clear
- Glare from headlights and sunlight, with halos around lights
- Colours that look faded or yellowed
- Trouble seeing in dim light
- Glasses that need changing more often than before
Consult eye specialists in Kurla for cataract evaluation.
When Is Surgery Needed?
There is no fixed point at which a cataract must come out. The usual test is whether it is getting in the way of daily life, such as reading, work, driving, or recognising faces. Surgery may be advised sooner if the cataract makes it hard to examine or treat another eye problem, diabetic retinopathy for instance.
When only one eye is affected, and the other sees well, waiting is sometimes reasonable. The trade-off is that the mismatch between the eyes can upset depth perception, and a cataract left to mature tends to become denser and harder to remove. The decision about cataract removal surgery is made after an examination, not before.
Surgery and Lens Options
Modern cataract surgery is done by phacoemulsification. Through a very small incision, an ultrasound probe breaks the clouded lens into fragments, which are suctioned out. A foldable artificial lens, the intraocular lens (IOL), is placed in the same space through the same opening. Femtosecond laser-assisted surgery is a separate technique used at some centres. Very dense cataracts may need a different approach with a larger incision.
The lens you choose shapes how you see afterwards, and it is settled with the surgeon:
- Monofocal
sharp at one distance, usually far, so reading glasses are typically still needed - Toric
corrects astigmatism alongside the cataract - Multifocal or extended depth-of-focus
reduce dependence on glasses at more than one distance, though some people notice glare or halos at night
Many current lenses also have an aspheric design, meant to improve contrast, particularly in dim light. The surgeon explains what each type involves, including the difference in cost between them, before a lens is chosen.
The Surgical Journey
Before surgery
An eye examination confirms the cataract and checks the rest of the eye. Measurements of its length and curvature decide the power of the lens implant. Diabetes and high blood pressure are brought under control, and the surgeon needs a full list of current medicines, since a few affect how the pupil behaves during the operation. Antibiotic drops may be started beforehand, and instructions for the day are given in advance, along with what the admission and insurance process involves.
During surgery
The eye is numbed with drops or an injection, so the patient stays awake but comfortable. The steps are those described above, and the incision is usually small enough to seal without stitches. It is commonly a day-care procedure.
After surgery
A protective shield is worn at first. Drops for infection and inflammation are used as prescribed, and rubbing the eye, letting water or dust in, and heavy lifting are avoided while it heals. Vision often improves within days but settles over a longer period, and a final glasses check follows once the eye has healed. Follow-up visits are part of recovery, not an optional extra.
Risks and realistic outcomes
Cataract surgery is generally safe, but no operation is risk-free. Complications can include infection, inflammation, raised eye pressure, swelling at the centre of the retina and, rarely, retinal detachment or displacement of the lens. A common later change is clouding of the thin membrane that holds the lens in place. A short outpatient laser procedure treats it, and it does not mean the surgery failed. The result also depends on the rest of the eye. Glaucoma, macular degeneration, or diabetic retinopathy can limit how sharp vision becomes, so clear vision cannot be promised in every case.
Cataract Surgery at CritiCare Asia Hospitals, Kurla, Mumbai
Care starts with a full examination rather than a decision to operate. The ophthalmology team assesses how much the cataract affects daily life, checks the retina and optic nerve for other conditions that could influence the result, and takes the measurements needed to choose a lens. The options, including the type of lens, what to expect about glasses afterwards, and what the treatment is likely to cost, are discussed before a date is set, and follow-up is planned as part of the same pathway. If blurred vision is getting in the way of reading, driving, or recognising faces, schedule an evaluation with cataract specialists in Kurla at CritiCare Asia Hospitals.